1. Field of the Invention
This invention is an improved, reusable insulated chamber for transport and handling of frozen, cold or cool bulk fluids, solids, packaged foods, and liquid cell-culture media.
2. Description of Related Art
Since the invention of 2-piece, molded styrene foam ice chests for preservation of picnic foods, many foods, beverages and industrial items have been transported in such simple insulated closed containers. Because the insulating characteristics of many types of closed-cell polymer foams are excellent for maintaining temperatures in the range of 0.degree. to 10.degree. C., with water ice in a separate section or sealed bag, there has been little need for innovation in the field of small, insulated transport containers, i.e., volume of approx 0.05 to 0.2 cubic meter. Special refrigerated and cryocooled truck bodies have typically been used for transport of larger items such as beef halves and larger quantities of fluid such as 10000 liters of liquid nitrogen. There seems to have been little focus upon the problem of preserving pallet-sized quantities of valuable, perishable goods during one or more transport stages from the original packing/freezing plant to the display cooler in a retail outlet or to an institutional food-preparation area.